Everything's Red
by StarletSpotlight
Summary: Greg can't seem to get anything right about Riley,the child services worker, so how come he can't get her out of his head? Will strong wills keep them apart or draw them closer? TAGTEAM with A.G. Hart!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: We do not own any of these Characters but only our own. We would like to have Greg, but we can't. :-)

A/N: This story is my first. However, I have tag teamed with A.G. Hart,too. She's written a bunch of CSI fanficsand they're really good. So if you like this, check out hers too. It's my first Chapter EVERso don't kill me k? Please like it.Shpanks.

Chapter 1-

The call came in, two bodies at a house in Henderson. Nick and Greg were assigned to the case and headed out.

They pulled into the driveway, not noticing the one that pulled in right behind them. They got their kits and headed into the house. Nick led, with Greg behind him. As he shut the door he heard someone yell.

"Hey!" it was a woman with red hair. "There is someone behind you!"

"Oh, sorry," Greg said, only half-heartedly.

"Jerk," she said under her breath.

"What?" he had heard her mumble some thing. He turned to look at her. She was about 5'7" with shoulder length red hair. Her eyes looked blue, but it was hard to tell at first glance. _Not bad,_ he thought. _If only she had an attitude to match._

She just weakly smiled and then walked towards the nearest police officer.

"Where's the child?" Greg heard her ask.

"In here," the police office said and led the way.

''What happened here?'' Nick asked an officer as Greg began looking at the scene. Below him were two lifeless bodies, a male and female, both surrounded by blood.

''A robber broke in around 6 and killed these two while their child hid'' the officer explained.

''Were they the parents?'' Greg asked. Nick began taking pictures with the camera. The officer nodded.

Nick shook his head ''Poor kid, how old?''

''Eight,'' the woman with red hair answered as she entered from the doorway. "And scared out of his mind''.

Greg just shook his head. "Damn."

"Riley Parrish, Child Services," she said, walking towards him.

He was about to warn her about the gruesome scene in front of him, but she moved to fast. When she saw the bodies lying on the floor, she quickly turned her head away.

"Why don't I go see the boy?" Greg said to Nick, motioning to Riley with his head.

Nick saw the distress in her face. "That would be good," he answered.

"Greg Sanders," he said to her as they walked back into the other room.

''Before we go in, let me mention to you that this boy has been through a lot today, so don't tease too much'' Riley stopped him before they entered the room.

''What are you insisting?'' Greg asked in monotone.

''Look, I'm just saying…don't say much so this goes a lot smoother, okay?''

Greg was a little ticked at what she was implying. This wasn't his first crime scene. This wasn't his first victim. _Just who does she think she is?_ He thought.

"I know what I'm doing," he corrected her.

"Have you dealt with children in a situation like this before?" she asked.

He thought, and then just shook his head.

"I have and it's not easy. Children need special handling."

''I can talk to children fine'' Greg snapped.

''Okay, well _Mr.Sanders_, I want you to go on in there, and tell that child where he'll be staying, or what exactly happened to his parents, or to calm him down...because the last thing he wants right now is a lollipop.'' Riley snapped back in whisper. She was just doing her job for pete's sake! She sighed shaking her head.

Greg held up his hands in surrender. Obviously, this woman was not going to lighten up. "Sorry."

She let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry, too," she started, softening her facial expression slightly. "It's been a rough night. This is my third call in the last three hours."

Greg just nodded. "I'll try and be as quick as possible."

''That's all I ask Mr. Sanders,'' Riley replied as she leaned against the wall.

Greg nodded and walked into the boy's room. Riley could hear them talking faintly. She knew she had been too hard on Greg, but she just couldn't help herself. She'd seen too many kids mishandled by cops, only causing more problems.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: We do not own any of the CSI characters, only our own. Please don't sue us.

A/N: I hope some of you liked the first chapter. It'll get better, I promise. No one's reviewed yet though .

Chapter 2:

Inside the room, Greg and the boy were getting acquainted.

"Hey," Greg said, squatting down to the boys level. "My name is Greg."

The boy was silent. He was uncomfortable around strangers.

''Do you have a name?'' he asked.

''Shawn'' the boy finally answered after a few minutes that really felt like hours.

Greg nodded and looked around the room. It was full of baseball souvenirs, cards, and autographs.

''You play baseball?'' he asked as the boy stayed put.

Shawn nodded.

"I was never any good," he said, scrunching his face. "I could never hit the ball."

Shawn smiled a little at the face Greg made. "I'm good. I can hit the ball far," he told Greg.

"That's good," Greg assured the boy. "You know what I am good at?"

The boy shook his head, slowly opening up to Greg.

"I'm good at collecting evidence. Do you know what evidence is?"

Again, Shawn shook his head.

"It's like," Greg tried to think of something that Shawn would understand. "A puzzle. I collect all the pieces so that the police can see the whole picture."

"I like puzzles," Shawn responded.

Greg just nodded, as he started to examine the boy's shirt. "I like your shirt," he said.

"It's one of my favorites," he said.

Greg took a closer look, as the boy showed it off. The shirt looked clean, but he still wanted to brush it for fibers. "If I got you a new shirt, could I borrow this one?"

''Mr. Sanders, could you please explain to me what your doing?'' Riley asked standing in the doorway looking on in shock. Greg jumped.

''He likes puzzles'' Shawn shrugged.

"I'm doing my job," Greg answered, annoyed at her interruption.

"Why are you trying to take his shirt?" she was annoyed as well.

"It's possible evidence," he informed her.

She gave him a dirty look, but refused to admit she might have been hasty in her judgment. "Well, can you hurry it along? I'd like to get him out of here."

''Yea, whatever'' he shook her away.

Riley sighed and leaned against the doorframe watching Greg work.

''Did my mom and dad have to do this too?'' Shawn asked. Greg froze and looked at Riley.

Riley jumped and stood up straight. "The police men didn't talk to you Shawn?"

"The police men just told me to wait in here. Where are mom and dad?" he questioned.

Riley walked across the room to where Shawn and Greg were. She knelt down next to Greg, so that she was on Shawn's level as well. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about mom and dad right now," she said to him softly. "You just help Greg." Greg heard the question in her voice as she said his name. She looked at him and he nodded; she had gotten his name right.

Shawn just nodded as Greg continued to collect evidence.

Riley's phone rang. She looked at the number and groaned. If this was the fifth case that night, she had better get the next day off.

"Hello," she sighed in to the phone.

"Parrish, we got a hold of the boy's aunt," her boss told her.

Riley relaxed. She was glad it wasn't another case. It was always good when a family member was reached; it meant the child had someplace to go besides a foster home.

"Good. Is she willing to hold the child for the time being?" she sat on Shawn's bed holding her head.

Greg couldn't help listening to the conversation. He too was glad that the boy had a family member to go to.

"She's willing to take him for as long as needed, if it that means permanently," her boss replied.

"Good. Have her meet me at the hospital," Riley said and then hung up the phone.

She walked back over to Greg and Shawn. "Are you almost through? I need to get him to the hospital to have him checked out."

Greg finished brushing some fibers off of Shawn's shirt and then stood up. "He's good to go," he replied. "Am I going to be able to get his clothes at the hospital?"

Riley seemed annoyed by his question. "Yeah, I'll leave them for you."

"Thanks," Greg said, as Riley led the boy away.

She just waved her hand and left.

_How rude,_ Greg thought


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Although we wish we did, we do not own anyone from CSI, only our own.

A/N: We've got a lot of views. I'm glad people enjoy this. Here's the next chapter!

Chapter 3:

The ride to the hospital was silent. She tried to get Shawn's mind off the recent occurrences, but nothing would cheer up this kid. She didn't blame him either.

The aunt was rather emotional when she first saw Shawn. Riley had seen so many cases like this before. Losing someone usually brought families closer together. Which was rather ironic since Riley was always working and never saw hers. Everyday she'd come home to multiple messages on her answering machine from her mother begging her to visit. Riley wouldn't stop working though, she felt she had too.

Pondering her mother put Riley into a daze as Shawn and his aunt stood hugging next to her. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen her mother or been hugged for that matter. She hadn't realized how much time she'd been spending working, but then again, she didn't have much time to think about it.

Riley made sure to get Shawn's clothes before she let him leave with his aunt. He was still unsure of why his parents weren't picking him up, but she was going to let his aunt handle those questions.

As she was walking out, she was going over her notes from the evening. She had to plan out what she needed to do tomorrow whenever it was that she got up. She was so engrossed with her notes, she didn't notice Greg walking towards her and walked right in to him.

"Hey!" Greg yelled.

"Oh, sorry," Riley said, looking up. Then, when she saw it was Greg she added, "We really have to find a different way to say hello."

Greg let out a chuckle. _So she does have a sense of humor,_ he thought.

''Everything go okay?'' Greg asked. Riley nodded handing him the clothes.

''Shawn is now safely with his aunt'' she smiled. "He said to make sure and remind you that you promised him a new shirt?''

Greg laughed. "That I did."

"Well, make sure you do. The kid doesn't need anymore disappoints," she replied and then left.

Greg was standing there, bewildered. He didn't understand the sudden change in Riley's demeanor.

Riley didn't even give her exit a second thought. Although she worked with people on a daily basis, relating to them personally was something she had never gotten the hang of. She found it easier to interview them then have a dinner conversation with them. Perhaps it's the reason she hadn't had a date in almost a year. It was either that or the fact she hadn't had more than 24 consecutive hours off in the last year.

Greg mocked Riley's tone all the way back to his car.

''The kid doesn't need any more disappoints'' he said in a tone nothing like Riley's as he started his car. ''Well, you ain't no Susie homemaker hunny.''

That's when Greg's phone rang. "Hello," he answered rather harsh.

"Whoa, Greggo, calm down," Nick's voice could be heard on the other end. "Did you get the clothes?"

"Yea...that crazy bitch" Greg replied.

''Who's that?'' Nick asked in confusion. ''The aunt?''

''No…the Child Services lady, _Riley,_'' Greg responded annunciating her name rudely.

"She looked kinda cute," Nick replied.

"Cute she was, friendly, she was not," Greg informed him.

"Oh well, that's they way it goes," Nick sounded a little disappointed.

"Well, I'll be back shortly. I'm on my way," Greg hung up the phone. _Definitely not friendly,_ he thought.

A/N: Told you it gets better. Now, COMMENT!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: We do not own any of the CSI characters, only our own.

A/N: Glad people are enjoying the story. Feedback is _always_ welcome. This chapters a little longer but I didn't know where to cut it. I'm sure you don't mind.

Chapter 4-

It seemed like she had just fallen asleep when Riley was awakened by her cell phone ringing. At first, she thought it was her alarm clock and tried to turn it off. But when that didn't stop the noise, she realized it was her cell phone.

_Dammit,_ she swore to herself before picking up the phone. "Hello?" she groggily answered.

"Is this Riley Parrish?" a man's voice asked.

"Yeah, who's this?" she replied, sounding a little rude.

"Hey this is Greg Sanders from the crime lab," he replied.

''Oh, you. Yes?'' she replied yawning and rolling her eyes.

''I was just wondering if I could have the address of where Shawn is staying. I bought him his new shirt and everything,'' Greg answered with no tone in his voice at all.

''Let me see if I have it here,'' Riley answered rolling out of bed and walking over to her briefcase. "Tommy...Brian…Sabrina,'' Riley mumbled to herself fumbling through the many files.

''Sorry Greg, I must have left it in my office," she sighed. ''If you'd like I can bring it to your building tomorrow or whatever.''

"That's fine," Greg replied. Remembering _he_ still had manners, he added, "Thank you." Then he hung up.

Riley looked at the clock, still unsure of what time it was. When she saw that it was after four p.m. she couldn't believe she had slept that late. They only thing she could attribute it to was the new pills her doctor had given her. She was glad they worked for now, but knew that none of them ever worked for long.

She stretched, trying to wake up. _I guess I can take that file to him tonight,_ she thought. _I have stuff to do at the office anyway. Who needs a day off?_

Later that evening, Riley walked into the Las Vegas crime lab. In all her years working for Children's Services, she'd never been in there before. It was a nice place she thought.

Riley walked up to the information desk. "Is Greg Sanders available?" she asked the woman behind the desk.

The woman told Riley to take a seat as she phoned Greg and a few moments later Greg showed.

He smiled politely at Riley. _Maybe she just had a bad day yesterday,_ he thought as she got up and walked over to him.

"Hello," he forced himself to say. _One way of finding out._

"Hi," Riley responded awkwardly. There were a few moments of awkward silence.

Then, Riley remembered why she was there. "I-I have the address for you." She started to search through the folder in her hand for the address.

"That's cool. So, uh, how're you?" Greg tried to be polite.

"I," Riley paused, having a hard time finding the address. "What?"

"I asked, how are you," Greg repeated.

She looked up from her folder and gave a weak smile. "I'm…here," she responded and then went back to looking for the address.

Greg decided he'd done his best. _There's no helping some people._ He just stood there, waiting.

"Here it is," she said, finally pulling out a piece of paper from the folder.

She also pulled out a Post-It note and a pen. Riley then wrote down the address.

''I would explain to his aunt who you are too,'' Riley said giving him the address. ''She still may be shook up.''

_Duh_ Greg thought but only nodded.

That's when Nick came up behind Greg. "Hey Greggo, I have—" he stopped mid sentence as he saw Riley. "Oh sorry Greg, I wasn't aware you had a visitor." He flashed a patronizing smile at Greg. He recognized Riley from the night before.

"That's ok," Greg returned Nick's fake smile. "You remember Riley Parrish from last night," he said, turning back towards Riley.

"Nick Stokes," he said, extending a hand towards Riley.

"Nice to meet you—again, Mr. Stokes," Riley replied, smiling and taking his hand.

"Please, call me Nick," he told her.

"Ok, Nick," she said, letting go of his hand. "I can wait if you need to speak to Greg."

Greg's eyes widened. He didn't understand why she was being so nice to Nick, when she couldn't even muster a civil response to him.

"No, it's alright," Nick smiled, seeing the look on Greg's face. "I'll catch up to him when you are through." And then he left.

"So, as I was saying," Riley started. "I want to talk to the aunt, let her know you're one of the good guys." She pulled a small Polaroid camera from the bag she was carrying. "Do you mind if I take your picture to give to her so she can recognize you?"

"Yeah, sure," Greg replied.

She snapped the picture. "Thanks." She looked at her watch. "I will try and get over there tonight, so that you can go tomorrow if you want."

"That'd be cool," Greg replied. "I do need to get back to work. Thanks again for the address."

"Thank you for keeping your promise," she said, lightly touching his arm. "It will mean a lot to Shawn."

Greg mumbled a goodbye as he watched her leave. _What is up with her_? He shrugged it off as he went back to look at the evidence he had found the night before.

Nick's laughter could be heard as he came into the room. "Yea, she's a real bitch Greg." He laughed some more. "She's actually really pretty"

"Yea pretty insane," Greg mumbled.

"What's going on?" Warrick asked, walking into the room.

"Nothing," Greg mumbled looking through his microscope.

"Aww, it's ok Greg," Nick chided him. "You can tell Warrick about the mean lady."

Warrick turned to Greg, wanting to hear an explanation. He knew _this_ was going to be a good story. But Greg just turned to Nick and gave him a look.

So, Nick decided to tell Warrick. "Last night we were called to a scene and there was a child still there and so children's services was called. The worker, Riley Parrish, and Greg here can't seem to get a long."

"Riley Parrish, with red hair?" Warrick asked.

Nick nodded. "That's her."

"Yeah, I've worked with her a time or two. She really cares about kids," Warrick responded.

"See, Greg, it _is_ just you," Nick told him.

Greg just rolled his eyes and went back to his microscope. _Yeah, or maybe you guys are crazy too._

A/N: Now review!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks to livetoeat06 for pointing out a typo/mistake. Thanks! I didn't even notice it. We had 'Alex' instead of a 'Riley' in one line. A.G. Hart's characters are all Alex so she got mixed up, ha. It's fixed now. Here's the next chapter. It's long.

Chapter 5:

Riley knocked on Shawn's aunt's door. Her other hand held Shawn's folder.

Moments later Shawn's aunt answered the door. ''Hello Ms. Parrish, come on in,'' she greeted her, opening the door.

"It's nice to see you again, Ms. Strong," Riley returned the greeting.

"Please, as I asked you at the hospital, call me Margaret," She replied. Then ushering her into the living room she added, "Please, have a seat."

''How's Shawn doing?'' Riley asked immediately as she sat down. She took Shawn's folder, a pen, and Greg's picture from her bag.

"Well Ms. Parrish, the poor boy's a mess. He's terrified." Margaret replied, wringing her hands.

Riley nodded understanding and jotted down a few notes. "Before I forget, Greg Sanders, he's a CSI, will be dropping off some new clothes for Shawn tomorrow," Riley said handing the picture to Shawn's aunt. "He promised Shawn a new shirt since he took his for evidence," she explained further.

"How nice of him," Margaret smiled warmly. "He'd mentioned a Greg, I wondered who it was."

"Yes, apparently, Greg and Shawn became fast friends the other day," Riley replied. _Although why, I have no idea._

Riley continued to talk with Margaret for a little while. They both shared their concerns over Shawn and the ordeal he'd been through. When she left, Riley felt good about her placement of Shawn. His aunt really cared for him.

Greg pulled into the driveway, double-checking the address on the paper. As he turned off the car, he grabbed the package next to him. He hoped Shawn liked the shirt he had bought.

He knew they were expecting him. Well, at least he hoped they did. Riley said she was going to tell them, but, with Riley, he wasn't really sure of anything. Especially when he was not one of her favorite people.

Greg knocked on the door. After a few moments, a woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties answered the door.

"Hi, you must be Mr. Sanders," she said after opening the door.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Riley had told her. "Yes, you must be Ms. Strong. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," she replied, steering him in. "And it's Margaret." She smiled. "Shawn's been talking about getting a new shirt since he got here. It wasn't until Ms. Parrish came by yesterday that I knew what he was talking about."

Greg returned her smile. "Yes, _Ms. Parrish._"

"Do you want to give Shawn the shirt yourself? He's been talking about you quite a bit," Margaret asked. Greg nodded and followed her to Shawn's new room.

"Greg!" Shawn happily cried running and giving Greg a huge hug.

Greg was surprised but returned the boy's hug. He hadn't thought he'd made that big of an impression. "Hey buddy! How've you been?" he asked kneeling down to Shawn's level.

"Okay, Aunt Margaret bought me a puzzle! Remember you said you liked puzzles!" Shawn exclaimed. He then went and got the puzzle box to show Greg.

"That's really cool Shawn," Greg proclaimed looking at the picture on the cover of the box with the pieces inside. It was cool too, a giant baseball.

"I didn't forget our promise, bud. I was so happy you let me have your other shirts that I bought you two new ones," Greg said handing Shawn the bag of shirts.

As Shawn happily took the first shirt from the bag to look at it, Greg heard a knock at the door. He turned his head to hear better.

"Ms. Parrish," he heard the muffled voice of Margaret say.

_Can she not trust me to even do this on my own?_ He thought, frowning.

"Oooo," Shawn said as he held up the first shirt, drawing Greg's attention back to the boy.

"I thought you'd like that," Greg trying to smile, told Shawn as he marveled over the baseball player on the new shirt.

Greg tried to listen to more of the conversation in the other room as Shawn pulled out the second shirt. But their voices were too low; Greg couldn't hear them. In a moment it wouldn't matter.

Riley entered Shawn's room. "Hello boys," she said.

"Miss Riley!" Shawn exclaimed and ran over to show her his new shirts. "See the shirts Greg got me?"

She knelt down. "Yes, they are very nice," she told him, looking at the shirts.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Greg asked as Shawn showed her the shirts.

She looked up at Greg, "Paperwork."

"Yeah, paperwork," he retorted.

She gave him an evil look. "What are you implying, _Mr. Sanders_?"

"You came her to check up on me," he accused her.

"What? I-I did not!" she replied indignantly, trying to cover up her surprise that he had figured her out.

He rolled his eyes.

Shawn, however, took their fight in a different light and decided to play a little game. He carefully took the visible phone out of Riley's pocket and hid it behind his back. He then laughed to himself.

"Well, well, I-I need to go," She stammered. "I got my paperwork signed. I just wanted to say hi to Shawn." Then she turned back to the boy. "You have fun with Greg."

She gave him one last hug and then left the room.

Shawn walked over to Greg. "Ooooo, you've got a girlfriend," Shawn chided, this time carefully sliding the phone into Greg's jacket. He laughed to himself again.

"Girlfriend? Her? I don't think so!" Greg replied.

"My mom always told me that when a girl picks on you it means that she likes you," Shawn told him.

Greg started to say something, but stopped. _Like me?_ He thought. _Naw, can't be. _

A/N: Hope you liked it. Now review!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Glad people like the story :-), here's the next chapter:

Chapter 6-

When Riley reached her apartment and decided to order Take-Out she discovered her phone was missing. Her heart skipped a beat. _Not today_.

She quickly dialed the number and hoped to God someone had found it.

Greg had just gotten in his car when he felt something vibrate in his jacket. He pulled out a cell phone that was not his. It was ringing.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Listen, I don't know who you are, but you have some nerve for taking my phone," A woman's voice could be heard.

''Riley?'' Greg asked as she kept babbling about how much she needed her phone back for her job.

''_SANDERS_!'' Riley almost screamed. ''Of all people I should have guessed _you'd_ take _my_ phone''

''Riley, I did not take your phone! I just found it in my jacket,'' Greg explained. ''What would I want with _your_ phone?''

''I don't know. To ruin me or something!'' Riley exclaimed.

''Let's be realistic!'' Greg proclaimed trying to keep his temper. ''I most certainly did _not_ take your stupid phone.''

"Yeah, it just magically appeared in your possession," she shot back. She too could feel her temperature rising.

He rolled his eyes, incredulous that she was so rude. "Listen," he said. "I did not take your phone. I do, however, have your phone. Tell me where you want to meet and you can have it back. I really don't want it."

Riley looked at her watch. "Where are you headed now?"

"Well, it's my day off, so I was headed back home," Greg replied.

"Where do you live?" she asked, only trying to figure out a convenient location for both of them.

"Um," he didn't really want to tell her where he lived. "Since this is apparently my fault, why don't I drop it off at your house?"

"Fine," she said and then gave him directions. "How long do you think it'll take you to get here?"

"Well, I'm still at Shawn's aunt's house. How long does it take from here?" he replied.

"About half an hour," she replied and then snidely added, "So I'll see you in forty-five minutes." She hung up before he could reply.

Greg sat there for a moment not moving. He couldn't believe the nerve of that woman. _How anyone, even a child could think that she liked me, _he paused mid-thought. _Shawn! He must've done it!_

Exactly 45 minutes later Greg knocked on her apartment door. Riley was dreading this. She was already in her sweatpants and sweatshirt. She knew she didn't look very professional. Greg wasn't business though, just a nuisance.

She opened the door with a fake smile and was going to ask him to come in when her house phone began to ring. She gave him the 'one minute gesture' with her finger and ran to get her phone.

Greg decided he could be just as rude as she was and let himself in. He was curious to know how a woman like Riley lived, if she had 24 cats or owned 13 million books. He was surprised to see she had neither and her apartment was stylish and cozy. There was a big couch and chair, and a laptop on her coffee table. It had looked like she was typing a report of some kind when he came.

What caught his eye was the many picture frames on one table next to the chair. Many were of Riley and her family, her mother, father and sister. Others consisted of her with her friends at parties at what Greg assumed was college. _I'm surprised she has friends_. He chuckled at his own thought out loud.

One photo struck out to him though. It wasn't like the other ones. In fact, he barely saw it as he scanned the last row of the frames. Greg picked up the picture frame to get a better look. It was of two little girls, one with red pigtails sticking out her tongue and the other with curly black hair laughing.

''_Excuse me,_'' Riley sneered interrupting his enjoyment.

"Is this you?" Greg just asked not even apologizing for his barging in. Riley walked closer to him to get a better look at what frame he was holding. She froze in her tracks.

''Yea,'' she said softly. "We, um, she lived on my block." Riley then seemed to go into a short daze. Greg thought she looked almost sad.

She then jolted and said. "Sorry it took so long. My mother feels the need to call me at least twice a day."

Greg was still looking at the picture, trying to transform the woman in front of him to the little girl.

She crossed her arms, noticing his lack of attention. "My phone?" she finally said.

Greg snapped back to reality. "Oh. Yeah." He reached into his pocket and took out her phone.

"Thank you," she flatly replied, taking it.

Greg still held the picture in his hand. She jerked it out of his hand. "Well, I really do need to get back to work."

He was going to ask something more about he picture, but decided to drop it. It was apparently something she didn't want to talk about. "Alright then," he said and headed back towards the door.

As they got to the door, he turned back to face her. "Just so you know, Shawn's the one who took your phone and slid it in my jacket."

"What?" she replied, giving him a disbelieving look. "Why would he do that?"

"Because," Greg started to answer, glad he finally knew something she didn't. "He thinks you like me."

Riley laughed a nervous laugh. "Well, he has a big imagination."

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Greg replied and left.

_Like him?_ She thought. _Well, he is kinda cute. _ She shook her head. _ But very rude._

A/N: Review!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks for the reviews guys! These next few chapters are my favorite and I hope you like them too!

Chapter 7-

Greg was awakened from his sleep by the ringing of his cell phone. He reached for it on his nightstand, but it wasn't there. He remembered he'd left it on the dresser. He trudged over to where his phone lay and answered with a half awake "Hello?"

"Greg," He recognized Nick's voice. "Grissom just called me. Shawn's dead''

It felt as though Greg's heart had stopped. ''What! Nick this isn't funny.'' He accused.

"I'm not joking, get your ass over here," Nick then told Greg to meet him at Margaret's house. Greg proceeded to dress and drive over there in a hurry.

Riley had been at a home visit when she saw Margaret's number on her cell phone. She didn't think anything of it. She figured Margaret just had more questions so she didn't feel the need to speed up her interview.

After the visit, she climbed into her car and listened to her voice mail.

"Riley, this is Margaret," the familiar voice sobbed. "It's…It's Shawn. Please get here as soon as you can."

The tone of Margaret's voice worried Riley. She checked her watch, it had been 45 minutes since she'd called. Then she checked her schedule. She didn't have any more appointments for the day, so she headed over to Margaret's house.

As she drove, she tried to contact Margaret, but all she got was a busy signal. This caused her concern to grow and speed to increase.

As she reached Margaret's house, she saw the flashing lights. Her heart sank. Between the lights and Margaret's tone, she had a good idea what happened. She prayed she was wrong.

She jumped out of her car and showed her ID to the police officer as she rushed towards the house. She wasn't going to let anyone stop her from getting in there. She opened the door, ran to the kitchen and fell to her knees sobbing at the familiar body.

Greg stood turned with his back towards the body. He had just sealed some evidence in a zip lock baggy when he heard a cry. It wasn't Margaret's cry, as hers was loud, but it was a low whimper. Greg turned around then and was surprised that the cry had come from Ms. Parrish herself.

She didn't even see Greg as she kneeled in front of Shawn's body. Her face was pale and her hands were shaking.

Greg didn't know what to do as her watched her. She'd always seemed hard to him, and now, here she was, crying.

"Ms. Parrish," he said softly, squatting down beside her.

Startled, she looked at Greg and then quickly wiped her eyes. She hadn't even thought about anyone else being in the room and she hated for people to see her cry.

"Mr. Sanders," she replied, her bottom lip quivering. The tears were hard to hold back.

"Are you ok?" he asked her.

She let out a shaky sigh. "I…just…it's…" she stammered.

He put an arm around her and helped her to her feet. "I understand," he told her. Even though she couldn't say it, he understood.

"I just thought he'd be safe," Riley finally got out.

"We all thought he was safe," Greg replied, leading her to the living room. "We didn't think they knew where he was."

"I failed him," she sobbed as the tears started to break through once again.

''You did everything but that Riley,'' Greg softly said walking her to the couch. He sat down with her.

Riley shook her head. ''N-No, y-you don't understand,'' she said, her voice still shaky. ''This is, is my job.''

''Shawn was happy here though, and that's also your job,'' Greg comforted her. ''Listen, I know your life is kids,'' He tilted his head looking at her. ''I know occurrences like this don't happen to you, and that's how I know you didn't fail him.'' Greg reached and handed her a tissue from a nearby table.

Riley shook her head again dotting the tears with the tissue and said, "It's my job to protect him, though."

"You can't do it all, Riley," he put his arm around her trying to soothe her.

There was something in the way he said her name, a kindness. No one had said her name like that in a long time. "Why are you being so nice to me? I bet you think I'm the wicked bitch of the west."

He cracked a small smile. There was so much he could say to that but knew that this was not the time. Instead, he said, "I know how you feel right now, that's why. Shawn was a good kid."

She could tell by his tone he was being sincere. "I'm sorry I've been so rude. I just…"

"You're just really good at your job," Greg finished her sentence.

Riley could feel herself blush a little as she looked down. ''We both chose winners of professions didn't we?''

''You just need a break,'' Greg suggested. ''It's nice you're so committed but, take a few days off.''

Riley's eyes went wide. ''Oh no, I don't take days off ''

''Well you need to'' Greg assured her.

Riley looked at Greg thinking of another excuse. She knew he was right, and she hated to admit it.

_I've never noticed how blue her eyes are. _Greg thought looking into them.

They broke their gaze as the ringing of a cell phone was heard. They both reached for their cell phones as if it was natural.

''It's me,'' Riley sighed as she flipped open her phone ''Hello?''

Greg heard a man's voice on the other line.

''Parrish, the police called and told me what happened. Are you okay?'' It was her boss.

''I'm fine Mr. Moseby,'' Riley lied.

Greg quickly looked at her. _She's a mess._

''Yea, I'll have the pap-,'' she was cut off as Greg took the phone from her hands.

''What are you doing?'' Riley snapped, leaning across him trying to reach for her phone.

''Mr. Moseby, I'm...John Smith from the Las Vegas Police Department,'' Greg said in a horribly fake British accent. ''Ms. Parrish here, has done an outstanding job and is showing some fatigue. I suggest you give her a few days off.''

Riley who had put her head in her hands during the middle of Greg's performance looked at him bewildered and speechless.

Greg winked at her. _I'm for sure fired._ She thought hearing Mr. Moseby's muffled voice on the other end.

Greg cleared his throat and said ''Thank you, I'll tell her. CHERRIO MATE!''

He gave a wide slide grin as he closed her phone.

Riley just stared at him and finally said ''ARE YOU INSANE!''

Greg chuckled. "Probably but he agreed with me. He said come back in a couple days. You work too hard."

She snatched her phone back from his hand. "I may work hard," she replied, starting to get angry. "But it's because I work for a noble cause."

"I'm not saying it's not noble," Greg tried to defend himself. "You just take it so personally. You're only human."

"It is personal," she responded. "I failed—" she shook her head, trying to shake away the tears.

"You didn't fail Shawn," Greg repeated his reassurances.

She shook her head more furiously. "Not Shawn," she sobbed. "Alison."

Greg was confused. "Who's Alison?"

"Curly black hair," were the only words she got out.

Greg was even more confused for a moment, but then he remembered the picture. "From the picture?" he asked, just to be sure.

She nodded. "We were best friends," she started, trying to steady her voice. "She'd have bruises and I'd ask questions. Finally, she told me what was happening, but only after I promised on my life and hers I wouldn't tell anyone."

Greg nodded, beginning to understand. He had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"So, I kept it in, not telling anyone, but her bruises kept getting worse and worse. Until, one day, she never showed for school. That's when I told, but it was too late." She started to cry again.

Greg put his arms around her, and she put her head on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Riley."

''Is that why you went into Child Protective Services?'' he asked softly as she cried. Riley nodded into his shoulder.

''I hate telling people. I don't need any pity parties,'' She said after awhile taking her head off his shoulder.

Greg nodded. "You're a really strong person."

"Not as strong as you think," she shook her head, sniffling. "I mean, I play this uptight bitch," she paused. "Who's really just afraid of ending up alone."

"No one wants to end up alone," Greg replied, placing his hand on hers.

For some reason, the touch of his hand snapped her back to reality. "And a bitch who apparently likes to blubber all over strangers," she said, seemingly continuing her previous thought.

She stood up quickly and wiped her eyes. She reached over Greg and grabbed another tissue and then blew her nose. "I've got to get out of here," she thought aloud.

It seemed that before Greg could even get to his feet, she was out the front door. He quickly went after her. He was still a little leery of her, but knew that she shouldn't be alone in her state.

He caught up to her right as she opened her car door. "Hold on," he told her, grabbing her arm.

She seemed surprised to see him. "What?"

Greg paused for a minute. _Do I really want to do this?_ He knew the answer was yes. "Let me go with you."

She was startled. The depth of his kindness surprised her. "O-okay," she stammered.

"Ok," he replied. "Let me just go in and let my supervisor know."

'Nick'' Greg called walking back into the house.

''Hello loverboy'' Nick grinned up at him as he was taking some pictures of the crime scene. Shawn's body had been taken out and was already headed to Dr.Robinson.

''Shut it'' Greg frowned making a face. ''Look, I came to tell you I'm going with Riley. She's not in a good state right now.''

''And you're going to be the one to rescue her,'' Nick finished. He shook his head. ''I saw you Greg. I thought you and _Ms. Parrish_ butted heads?'' He snapped a photo of a small blood puddle.

''Yea, well she needed a wakeup call and she got one'' Greg shrugged. ''I'm just going to calm her down. She needs a friend right now.''

Nick nodded and waved him off.

Greg walked back outside and saw Riley talking to a police officer. He waited patiently leaning on his car. There was no way he'd let her drive. She was too upset.

Moments later he saw her trudging back with an even more miserable look than before.

''What happened?'' Greg asked as he opened the door for her. _I can still be a gentleman_. He ran to the other side and got in.

''The officer just told me that he's going to have to ask me some questions since I was one of the last people to see Shawn.'' Riley looked at him. ''I can't believe they think I might have had something to do with. It."

"I'm sure it's just procedure. Do they need you right now?" Greg questioned.

Riley shook her head. "No, he said I can come by tomorrow. I guess they figure they know where I work."

Greg nodded an agreement. "So homeward bound?" he asked.

"I don't want to go home right now," Riley informed him. "I just want to go someone noisy."

"How about this pub I know?" Greg asked.

"Sounds good. I could use a beer…or two," she replied.

_Probably a good thing I'm driving,_ Greg thought as he pulled out of the drive.

A couple hours and a few too many beers later, Riley was an open book; an open, talkative book. Greg was amazed at how much of a personality change she had gone through.

''I haven't drank like this since college'' Riley grinned taking another sip.

''I can tell'' Greg said over the loud music.

''Huh?'' she leaned over smiling like a fool. It was the first time he'd ever see her smile, and he liked it.

''I can't tell'' Greg grinned.

''I know it's hard to believe...I, Riley Parrish was a partier...'' she slurred laughing. ''But, I'll have you know Greg…I was cuh-ra-zee," She pointed out. ''I know how to have fun''

Greg just nodded. He was just a little worried about what her definition of 'fun' was. He also decided this was the best time to ply her for information, that he may or may not be able to use for blackmail, but in a good way, in the near future.

He knew that in their current positions, on opposite sides of the booth, that they wouldn't be able to hear each other well. So, he got up and moved to the other side of the booth, sitting next to her.

"So, what did you study in college?" he asked, expecting it to be something like social work.

"Political science," she replied.

"Poly Sci," Greg was surprised. "Changing the world one slogan at a time."

Riley let out a giddy laugh. "More like corrupting the government one sleazy politician at a time," she responded.

"Personal experience?" he asked.

Riley rolled her eyes and took a gulp of beer.

"I'll take that as a yes," he concluded. "So tell me about it."

Riley let out a big sigh. "It was right out of college. I was working on this guy's campaign. He had me all starry-eyed with his 'Kids must be protected' and 'Abusers must have harsher punishments.'"

"What happened?" Greg was curious.

"Let's just say, the only kids he cared about were in his pants," she let out another laugh at her own stupid joke.

Greg nodded. He understood. It also explained a lot.

''He made a move on you?'' he asked after taking a sip of his own drink.

''You could say that,'' she responded laughing. Greg smiled; he liked her laugh.

"So, what made you go into Child Services?" Greg asked facing her.

''When I couldn't change things politically, I figured I could my way,'' She shrugged. "I've always found I can rely on myself more than anyone else."

She titled her head back, trying to get the last of her beer. When she tilted her head back down, a strand of hair fell in her eyes. Greg instinctively brushed it out of the way, his fingertips lightly grazing her cheek.

She looked at him, into his eyes. She had never realized how expressive they were. She wasn't sure if it was the beer, the music, or just how nice Greg was being, but she was actually started to _like_ him. And she was ok with it. She smiled bright and wide.

He returned her gaze and her smile. Had it been anyone else, he would have kissed her, but, being who it was, he was sure it was just the alcohol and didn't want to do anything that might be misconstrued later.

''A-Are you ready to go? It's 4 in the morning'' Greg cleared his voice.

Riley nodded a little disappointed and followed him out of the booth. She was a little wobbly so she grabbed onto Greg's arm for stability.

He helped her into the car, and drove her back to her apartment. The car ride was quiet. Greg could tell she was getting tired.

''Greg, are you still going to be this friendly tomorrow?'' Riley asked after a few minutes riding. Her head turned away from him, looking out the window.

''Are you?'' he replied.

She turned to look at him. "You really do think I'm a bitch, don't you?"

He sighed. It'd been a while since he'd been around someone this drunk and forgot how emotional they were. "Well, you haven't exactly been Miss Congeniality," he replied.

Her lower lip started to tremble and she turned away from him again.

"Riley," he said softly, placing his right hand one her shoulder and glancing over at her. "I can only imagine how tough it's been relating to people once you started doing what you've been doing. You see so much."

She nodded her head, not looking at him.

"I've seen glimmers of a wonderful person these last few days. I talked with her again tonight for a while," he glanced over at her again and flashed a smile.

She turned and looked at him. "You really think I'm wonderful?"

''Yea, I do'' Greg nodded.

''I am really sorry that I was like that, you know that right?'' she asked.

Greg nodded again. "I know," He really hoped she wasn't like that anymore. They'd be back to square one.

He parked in the parking lot of her apartment complex and helped her up the stairs. Riley fumbled with her key trying to unlock the door and he found himself helping her again by placing his hand over hers and turning the handle.

Greg opened the door and they entered her apartment. Riley made way to the kitchen and he followed. "Want some coffee or something?'' she asked starting to brew a pot.

Greg shook his head ''Nah, I'm good.''

''Good God,'' she groaned looking at her answering machine ''Twenty-four messages.''

Greg chuckled.

''You think it's funny, eh Sanders?'' she turned to him. ''I will guarantee you, 15 of those are from my mother.'' Riley shook her head.

"It's nice to have some one that cares," he responded.

"Yeah, I suppose," she replied, coming back into the living room where Greg was. "Have a seat," she offered.

Greg looked at his watch again. "It's really late," he responded. "I should probably be going."

"Please don't," she said, walking over to him.

He was surprised by the tone of her voice. She seemed sad, lonely.

"I just…I just don't want to be alone right now," she told him. "It's not like this is the first child that I've seen die, it's just," she let out another sigh and then shook her head.

"What?" he asked, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"It's just I don't want you to go," she responded and then kissed him.

He was surprised at first, but quickly gave in to her soft, sweet lips. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her in close. He could feel her heart pounding.

Then he remembered, she was drunk. He broke away from her. ''I'm sorry. I can't do this,'' he shook his head ''At least not now, when your drunk''

''Huh?''she asked. ''Greg, you just said that really fast'' she burst out laughing.

"You're drunk, so you probably won't even remember this.'' Greg looked at her ''I don't want to do this right now."

Before she could respond Greg's phone began to ring. He looked at it. It was Nick.

''Hello?'' Greg answered.

Riley crossed her arms, her cheeks turning red. She couldn't figure out if she was angry with him or embarrassed at her own actions.

"Hey lover boy," Nick greeted him. "How's the date?"

Greg turned his back to Riley. "This is not a good time," he replied.

"That good, huh?" Nick chided.

"Was there a reason to your call?" Greg was getting impatient. He could only imagine the expression on Riley's face.

"Chill, bro," Nick responded. "Just checking in, was trying to give you a way out if you needed."

"Ok. I'll get that to you tomorrow," Greg said, letting Nick know everything was all right.

"Gotcha. Later," Nick replied, hanging up the phone.

Greg closed his phone and turned back to face Riley. Her arms were still crossed and her cheeks were almost as red as her hair. He knew he needed to handle this very carefully.

Before he even said anything though, Riley spoke up.

''Listen Greg, I'm sorry I was so,'' she paused looking for the right word. "Forward," she mumbled. She laughed to herself and said, "God, this is so embarrassing." She looked down.

"Why?" he asked. "Because you did something that was human?"

"Basically," she mumbled again, still looking down.

"Riley," he said, touching her arm.

She shook his hand off. "It's late. You'd probably better go," she tried to keep her voice from cracking. "I believe you know where the door is."

"Come on," he said. "I don't want the night to end this way."

"Well, then, good morning and good bye," she replied, walking towards the door and opening it.

Greg had had enough. He didn't want to fight with her anymore. "Fine," he said, walking out of the apartment.

As soon as he was through the door, she shut it before he could say anything else. _How stupid am I?_ She chastised herself.

A/N: What'd you think!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI, happy?

A/N: Told ya it'd get better!

Chapter 8-

Riley awoke the next morning with not only a headache but a feeling of guilt. She shouldn't have kicked Greg out like that. He was just trying to be nice to her, and she had to go and kiss him. It wasn't his fault she handled alcohol so poorly.

She groaned just thinking about it. Kissing Greg. _He must think I'm an idiot, _she thought laying back down. She felt really horrible and definitely didn't feel like seeing the world today. Or kissing it either for that matter.

She tried to go back to sleep, not wanting to get up. However, her guilt was eating away at her. Thinking with a clearer head this morning she realized she _did_ like him.

She decided the best thing to do would be to swallow her pride and apologize. She looked at the clock and decided it wasn't too early. She fumbled out of bed and located her cell phone.

"Hello?" a groggy Greg answered the phone.

"Hey Greg," Riley replied. "It's Riley."

Greg let out a sigh. He still wasn't quite awake and didn't feel like dealing with her. "What's up?"

"I…I just wanted to apologize," she told him. "I made an ass out of myself last night."

"I won't disagree with you," Greg responded. "But it's alright. It was a rough night and from the sounds of it, a rough morning."

''Yeah, hangovers are a bitch. But I want to make it up to you'' Riley went on ''Let me buy you a cup of coffee later or something''.

Greg's eyes widened. He couldn't believe she was being nice—and she was sober. "Uh, sure, but how about tomorrow? You sound like you need rest," he responded rubbing his eye with his free hand.

''Ok, tomorrow," then realizing what time it was she added, "I woke you up. I'm so sorry...just...go back to bed, bye'' she hung up. Then she smacked herself in the forehead. She realized she didn't get a time.

Her phone rang. She looked at the ID expecting it to be work. It wasn't.

"Greg," she answered. "What's up?" She squeezed her eyes shut. She was such a dork.

"You forgot to give me a time," he replied.

"Well, um," she stammered. "I have the day off, what works for you?"

"How about noon at that coffee shop around the corner from you?" he offered.

"Sounds good," she smiled to herself. "See you then."

Riley groaned as she closed her phone. Could she have sounded anymore pathetic?

Why was she suddenly feeling nervous around Greg?

A few hours later there was a knock on Riley's door. She grumbled at she got out of bed, where she was still watching television. She hoped it was just the mailman, but she was looking quite pathetic in her sweatpants and old t-shirt, not to mention the mess that was her hair.

She looked through the peephole and swore under her breath—it was Greg. She quickly ran her fingers through her hair, trying to smooth it as she ran back to her room to get a robe.

"Be right there!" she yelled as she padded down the hall.

''Hey'' Riley half smiled as she opened the door moments later. ''Come on in.''

''Thanks,'' Greg stepped in with a paper bag under his arm. His other hand carried a cup holder with two cups of coffee. ''I brought soup and coffee.''

Riley grinned. ''You may just be my best friend now, but I'm the one who owes _you._''

He followed her to the kitchen and set the cup holder and soup on the counter. ''How are you feeling?'' Greg finally asked.

Riley shrugged. ''Tired, worn out, and …heartbroken,'' she looked at him. ''Shawn was a good kid.'' She felt tears forming in her eyes. Riley looked down wiping her eyes with her robe. ''I'm sorry…'' she apologized. ''I just can't-''

Suddenly she felt Greg's arms wrap around her. Riley leaned into his chest burying her head in his shoulder. She cried silently as Greg gently brushed her hair with his fingers.

"It's ok. I can't believe he's gone either," Greg soothed her.

She lifted her head from his shoulder and looked into his eyes. She could see his sadness and it touched her. She couldn't believe she'd once thought he was jerk. She was now sure he was anything but.

Greg was impressed by the emotion in her eyes as well. He had once thought her so hard, but had found out she was just the opposite. And here, in this moment, he felt a deep connection to her, one she obviously felt too. He pulled her closer and kissed her.

Her heart skipped a beat the moment their lips met. Riley now realized what had been lacking from their kiss last night. This one was definitely much better.

She pulled away and half smiled, tears still running down her cheeks. "Is this how you comfort all the girls?"

Greg grabbed a tissue and wiped her cheeks. "You're the only one," he assured her.

She was about to say something else, when her cell phone started to beep. "Damn," she muttered, picking it up.

"What is it?" Greg asked. "Work?"

"No, alarm. I've got to meet with that detective in an hour," she told him.

"Well, enjoy your soup, and I'll see you tomorrow," he replied, heading for the door.

"Yes, tomorrow," she said with sadness still in her voice.

He cupped her cheek with his hand and smiled at her. He looked like he wanted to say something, but wasn't sure what. He chose instead to kiss her and she understood exactly what he meant. Then he left and she got ready to meet the detective.

A/N: REVIEW.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI..rawrr.

A/N: We're winding down on this story. However, I've got another one planned in the works. Enjoy!

Chapter 9:

Greg couldn't believe how well his earlier lunch with Riley went. Ever since he'd been grinning like an idiot. Even walking into work, he was all smiles.

"Greg what's with the smile,'' Grissom said as he walked into the lab. ''Any particular reason?''

Greg shook his head. ''Just had a good cup of coffee today.'' He explained.

''Or he could have a little crush,'' Nick finished walking in with a clipboard in his hand.

Grissom raised an eyebrow.

''Greg fancies the child services worker'' Nick filled Grissom in.

Grissom nodded. "The redhead?"

Nick nodded, a grin on his face.

"Riley Parrish, right?" Grissom asked.

Greg was surprised. First Warrick, now Grissom, how many people does Riley know? "Yeah, that's her. How do you know her?"

"Never Say Die," Grissom stated, matter-of-factly.

"The Bond movie?" Greg asked.

"The cockroach," Grissom replied. "He came in third if I remember."

"She races cockroaches?" Nick laughed.

Greg shot him an evil look.

"Well, if I remember correctly, she has retired from racing. Which is a shame," Grissom added.

"Why's that?" Greg asked.

"You don't get many beautiful women racing cockroaches," Grissom responded.

Nick laughed again. This was just too good to be true.

''Nick doesn't get many beautiful women at all'' Greg shot back shrugging. That made Nick shut up. Greg grinned at him.

Catherine walked in and paused. ''I'm sensing some tension in this room''

''Nick's just jealous about this beautiful children's services worker we met a few weeks ago and she decided to be _my_ friend. Not Nick's'' Greg responded before Nick could.

''She wasn't his friend until last night! Not until he got her wasted'' Nick pointed out. He gave a know it all look.

'Wait,'' Catherine said thinking ''Does she have red hair?''

''Ok, so how do you know Riley?'' Greg asked flatly. It seemed like he was missing something with everyone.

''Mutual friend. She babysat Lindsey a few times before she went into children's services'' Catherine responded. ''Wasn't she into political science before?''

Nick grinned. ''Your dealing with a politician Greggo?''

"Riley is not a politician," Greg responded, as Sara walked in.

"Riley, the red-headed children's services worker?" she asked.

Greg was incredulous. This was getting ridiculous! "How do _you_ know her? And how come I never met her before?"

Sara smiled, she liked Greg's aggravation. "Firing range. She's a mean shot, so watch out!" She laughed.

He got to the coffee shop before her. So he found a table and sat. Greg picked up a flyer from a local band on the table and started reading it.

He didn't even see Riley walk in and jumped a little when she sat down. He almost didn't recognize her when he looked up.

This was not the same Riley Parrish. She looked happier and calmer. She was even smiling. He noticed her auburn hair was slightly wavy today and it brought out her blue eyes immensely—even more than before. Or was it just Greg's imagination? Was he just looking at her in a different state? _Snap out of it Sanders._ He slapped himself in his mind.

"Hey," he greeted setting the flyer down. He leaned across the table and kissed her hard. ''Sorry, I thought about that all day'' he blushed sitting back down. Riley smiled.

"Interesting reading?" she joked, pointing at the pamphlet.

"Huh?" he responded.

"You jumped when I sat. I figured you must have been engrossed by something," she smiled.

He winced, she had noticed his jump. "Just reading about a band playing tonight. Thought I might check it out since it's my scheduled night off."

She picked up the flyer and looked at it. "Looks interesting,'' she stated

He smiled. He knew what she was getting at. "Yeah," he agreed with her.

They sat looking at their menus for a few moments. ''How was your meeting earlier?'' Greg asked.

Riley rolled her eyes. ''Pretty much like 20 questions,'' she sighed putting her menu down. ''They wanted to know a lot about my career, surprisingly. So, um, how're you?" Riley asked

"Tired. I spent most of the night being told stories by coworkers who know you," he laughed. "You?"

She blushed a little. "I'm pretty tired myself," she responded. Then questioned, "Who are your coworkers?"

"Gil Grissom, Warrick Brown, Catherine Willows…" he told her.

She nodded at each name. It seems they did know a lot of the same people. "Yeah, I've been around."

Greg gave her a playful wink. ''Bad girl! But I forgive you,'' he grinned. "Only because I know where you live."

''Yea, only because you were afraid to give me _your_ address first,'' she accusingly joked back.

Greg laughed. ''You were brutal, what can I say.'' He smiled at her.

''Ouch, Greg,'' Riley put her hand to her heart smiling back.

''You're really something else, _Riles_,'' Greg shook his head.

''RILES, Where did you hear that!'' Riley snorted and burst into laughter. ''My dad called me that when I was a kid!''

"You only referred to yourself as it when you proceeded to tell me your life story,'' Greg smiled. Riley's mouth dropped and he quickly added, "It's called blackmail hunny,'' and winked at her.

Riley sat back folding her arms with a grin. She shook her head. "Note to self: don't drink anymore until tolerance is built back up!"

Greg laughed. "Yeah, that might be a good plan."

"So, what's my blackmail?" Riley slyly asked.

Greg let a big grin creep across his face. "I don't know…yet. But it will be big."

She laughed at his silly grin. "Uh-oh!"

The rest of the meal and conversation went well. They didn't realize how much they actually had in common, even though they were so different. Riley wanted to spend the entire day with Greg, but she knew she couldn't.

She looked at her watch. "I've got to get going," she told Greg.

He glanced down at his. "Yeah, me too," he responded.

"So, uh, tonight? Corduroy Skin?" she hesitantly asked.

He smiled. "It's a date."

"Great!" she exclaimed and they left.

Now all she had to do was stay calm until tonight. But she knew how to distract herself. If she was going to see a band at a club, she could use a new outfit. She decided she'd go to the mall.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: This is the LAST chapter. However, I've got a sequel in the works. Muahaha.

Chapter 10-

Riley got to the club twenty minutes late. It took so long for her to get ready.

She chose a mid thigh length black skirt with fish net tights. Her shirt was found at a thrift store and had some old band on it. She added some old Converse tennis shoes to the ensemble. Her outfit was different, but she liked the change. It was different than her uptight businesswoman style. She hoped Greg would like it too.

The entrance to the club was actually a small balcony to the stage. There was railing above it and down below was the actual stage and the many people surrounding it. Riley placed her hands on the railing, looking for Greg below.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. ''Hey Ger.-'' she turned around and froze. It was Stuart Long, the politician she had worked with before. Riley folded her arms into her chest. "Stud," was all she muttered.

"Riley," Stuart slyly smiled. Then he looked her up and down. "Great outfit."

She rolled her eyes. "How's the wife?" she replied coldly.

Stuart stopped smiling for a brief second, then grinned wider. "Living in San Fran with her new girlfriend. How's your hus…boyf…oh wait, you were never much for men, were you?"

"Still a jackass, eh Stuart?" she chided. "And for your information, I'm looking for my boyfriend right now." She knew it was a stretch to call Greg her 'boyfriend' but she wanted to shut him up.

"Come on," he said, grabbing her arm. "Let me buy you a beer and then you can _repay_ me."

She tried to pull her arm from his grasp. "Let me go."

"Come on," he smirked, pulling on her arm harder.

"I said, let me go," she demanded.

Stuart felt a tap on his shoulder and turned around to see Greg standing there.

"Please let her go," Greg ordered Stuart.

"Listen, jerk, the lady and I are old friends," Stuart replied.

Greg looked at Riley and could see she did not like this guy. "Well, Riley and I and current friends, so let her go."

Stuart dismissed Greg and started once again pulling Riley towards the bar. Stuart purposely knocked shoulders with Greg. Greg had had enough and he did something he never did before; he punched Stuart.

Riley's hand went to her mouth in shock.

Stuart stumbled backward a few feet. ''What the HELL is your problem man?'' Stuart asked holding his hand to his eye.

''I told you to let her go, and you didn't listen'' Greg muttered angrily clenching his fists that were by his side.

''Hey man, she wanted to go with me, she came on to me'' Stuart lied sending Riley a look.

''Isn't that right, _Riles_'' he smirked.

Greg almost charged at him right there. He knew Stuart was lying. Instead Greg chose to stand in front of Riley protectively.

''I told _you_, I have a boyfriend. Remember?'' Riley snapped at him her head coming out from behind Greg. '' But wait, maybe you were too busy trying to think of ways to get in my pants.''

Greg turned around. ''Come on Riley, let's go enjoy the band.'' He gave one last look to Stuart and walked with Riley's hand in his.

''Look, I'm sorry. I had no idea, HE'D be here'' Riley apologized as they were quite a distance away. ''You must think I'm a train wreck.'' Her hands fell to her sides.

"Who was he?" Greg asked, not exactly knowing whom he had just hit.

"Remember the politician?" Riley responded.

Greg nodded in understanding. He slid his arms around her waist. "You're not a train wreck, you're a beautiful disaster." He smiled.

She laughed a little. "Thanks, that's a whole lot better," she replied playfully, smiling.

He really did love her smile. He pulled her in tighter. "Is that better?"

She bit her lower lip and nodded. "Much."

''What about this?'' He asked quietly and then leaned down and kissed her.

She wrapped her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened. They broke away moments later after some punk walked by and muttered ''Get a room'' loudly.

Riley blushed ''Perfect,'' she responded.

''So, I'm your boyfriend now, huh?'' Greg asked still holding her tight. Riley blushed again.

''Well, that was to get _Stu_ off my back…'' she smiled playing with the hair on the back of his neck.

"That's all? Just to get him off your back?" he replied, pretending to be hurt.

"Well…" she started, then kissed him again.

They remained holding tight to one another for the rest of the concert, but they weren't really listening to the music. They were swaying together, talking silently to each other.

After the show was over, they kissed one last time and parted ways. Riley didn't want to go home, but knew she needed to. It was late and she didn't want to do anything she might regret later.

She slept well that night, dreaming of the evening before. But when she awoke, the harsh reality of the day ahead crept in. It was Shawn's funeral.

She slowly got out of bed. The happiness of the night before was being overshadowed by the somberness of the day.

She got dressed and left. When she got to the funeral home, she spotted Margaret and walked to her side.

"I'm so sorry, Margaret," Riley tried to keep her voice from wavering.

Margaret wrapped an arm around Riley. "It's so horrible."

Riley felt an arm wrap around her from the other side. She turned to look; it was Greg.

"I'm very sorry as well," Greg said to Margaret. They spoke with Margaret a few more moments.

They walked up the main aisle to the coffin where Shawn visibly lay hand in hand. Riley stopped herself midway and shakily said, "I can't do this Greg."

Greg looked at her and saw the tears forming in her eyes. He pulled her into him and began rubbing the arch of her back.

"I can't do this...I can't," Riley kept saying each time more muffled than the last as she sobbed.

"Shh," Greg soothed her whispering in her ear. "Riley Parrish you have to be strong." He released her for a moment to look into her eyes. "Be strong for Shawn."

Riley sniffled staring into Greg's eyes. She finally mumbled, "What would I do without you Greg?"

"Probably be dating a slimy politician," Greg replied.

Riley gave a weak smile through her tears. "Probably," she said in barely above a whisper.

She walked up to the casket alone. She looked down and saw Shawn. He looked like he was sleeping.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep you safe," she whispered to the lifeless form. "Be good with your mom and dad in heaven."

She wiped away her tears and turned to walk back to Greg. She looped her arm through Greg's and they walked to their seats.

As they listened to the service Riley couldn't help but ponder the events that led her here, to Greg. It was a mysterious world that the end of one life had brought two together.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this story. And I hope you review it as well. The sequel will be posted in a week or so.


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